Condoleezza Rice, Morality and Perspective

Jul 13, 2012

RUSH: So Wednesday, there’s Romney at the NAALCP, and the day before there’s a story that he might announce his VP early. The way he spoke at it NAALCP, I said, “Hmm, I wonder if Condi Rice is on the list,” and I went through all the other people that are on the list. I mentioned everybody on the list. I didn’t announce a preference. I didn’t tell anybody that I hope this person or that person would be chosen as veep. Because I, frankly, don’t care right now.

If I may be blunt, I don’t care who the veep is.

It’s all about Obama to me, folks, and I don’t think it matters. I think we’re gonna be able to get turnout to get rid of this guy no matter what. But I may be a lone wolf on that. If so, fine. So that’s all I did. Here’s Carl Cameron this morning on Fox News Channel Happening Now. He’s got Jenna Lee talking to him. She said, “Is it just a reminder that we should listen carefully to everything you say during every report? I mean, you called this, right, Carl?”

CAMERON: Look, she’s a very important voice in the Republican Party. She knocked it out of the park at the recent Romney fundraiser in Park City, Utah. She was mentioned yesterday on Rush Limbaugh. That got a lot of attention.

RUSH: What? I mention Condoleezza Rice often on this program and it doesn’t get this kind of attention. At any rate, the reason that there’s all this buzz about Condoleezza Rice is that Romney had this super-secret confab with a bunch of fundraisers and supporters out at Park City, Utah. And Condi was out there. And apparently she blew ’em out. She had a speech that dazzled ’em and shocked ’em. She’d never been this partisan.

She’d never, ever been as animated and ideological as she was. We’ve got a couple of sound bites of it, sound bites 21 and 22. The week of June 22 through 24, Park City, Utah. We’ll have time to play one of these before we go to our obscene profit time-out at the bottom of the hour. BuzzFeed.com has this. And as I say, everybody’s saying this is the speech that got Romney’s attention. It blew Romney away, blew everybody away. I haven’t heard it yet. I’m listening to it with you.

RICE: It is a narrative that is being pushed by our current president that “I’m doing poorly because you’re doing well.” That has never been the American narrative. Ours has never been a narrative of aggrievement, and ours has never been a narrative of entitlement. It has been one of empowerment. And that, too…

AUDIENCE: (applause)

RICE: And that, too, is why we need a change in Washington. We need a change in Washington because the essence of who we are as Americans is at stake.

RUSH: Yeah, the people that were there said, “This woman made it sound like the country is hanging by a thread, that we’re on the verge of going totally socialist.” They’re just not used to hearing her talk that way. When she says here that Obama is pushing this business, “I’m doing poor because you’re doing well,” she’s apparently shocked at this. I don’t know where she’s been, but she’s apparently shocked at it and got all revved up about it. That got everybody in the crowd revved up about it.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here is the second sound bite, Condoleezza Rice at the big Romney confab in Park City, Utah, June 22, 23, and 24.

RICE: Since the essence of who we are as Americans is at stake, so is the essence of what the international community may become. And don’t think for a minute that if we don’t lead, someone won’t. And that someone might be a country that doesn’t believe in free markets and free peoples. That is why it is time for all of us, in any way that we can, to mobilize, to get our act together, to storm Washington, DC, with somebody who understands that. (applause)

RUSH: Now, folks, we are listening here to the former secretary of state. Diplomats never talk about storming anything. So here she is. She is worried. She is profoundly worried. Took a while, I guess, but we take ’em whenever they arrive. She shocked a lot of people. The BuzzFeed story on this has these excerpts: “Rice’s forceful and surprisingly partisan 13-minute address won her two standing ovations from the gathering of big-money donors and GOP elite. It was widely considered the highlight of the weekend, several people present told BuzzFeed. The standout performance took several people in Romney’s orbit by surprise. One surrogate said he was surprised by the red meat rhetoric employed by Rice, who has largely eschewed the political arena in recent years, devoting her time instead to an academic career at Stanford.” I think she’s a provost or some such thing.

And she goes on. There’s more to it. That’s what we have to give you a flavor of it. One of the pull quotes from the BuzzFeed story: “It is a narrative that is being pushed by our current president, that ‘I’m doing poorly because you’re doing well.’ That has never been the American narrative. Ours has never been a narrative of aggrievement, and ours has never been a narrative of entitlement. It is time for all of us, in any way we can, to mobilize, get our act together, and storm Washington DC.” She’s a diplomat. She’s a secretary of state. They don’t talk this way. Secretaries of state go out of their way to sound nonpartisan, engage in all kinds of psychobabble, meaningless drivel so that nobody can pinpoint what they think about anything. That’s their objective. Not to reveal the truth of anything. And that’s why I think a lot of people were surprised.

Now, one of the primary objections to Condoleezza Rice, among conservatives, is that she’s considered to be pro-choice, equaling pro-abortion. She’s never been elected. She really is not qualified to do anything. She’s pro-choice, pro-abortion. She really hasn’t been forceful or opinionated, nobody really knows much. She’s pro-choice. Base would hate her. Base wouldn’t want any part of her. She’s never been elected to anything. She’s never run for anything. She really has no qualifications. She really wasn’t a good secretary, plus she is pro-choice. If you read throughout the conservative intelligentsia, that’s what you’ll find. That’s what’s said about her.

She’s called here a couple times, and I’ve met her once. I was at the Horatio Alger annual dinner where she was inducted into the Horatio Alger Society. I didn’t talk to her that night. I don’t know her. I can’t say that I know her. I’ve just spoken to her a couple of times on the phone and I’ve met her a couple times. Let’s go back, September 2006, CBS News, Katie Couric interviewing Condoleezza Rice. Couric said, “Do you consider yourself pro-choice?”

RICE: I consider myself like many Americans on this issue. I really respect people who are on different sides of this divide, because this is a tough moral issue. I myself am someone who believes strongly in parental notification. I’m against late-term abortion, which I think is really very cruel. I have not wanted to see the law changed, because it’s an area that I worry about the government being involved in. But I’m like most Americans, I think abortion is a terrible thing.

RUSH: Now, this matters. It is gonna matter at some point. Remember Jeff Bell, we’ve talked about his book frequently here in the past six months. Jeff Bell has a book about how important the social issues are in presidential elections. And, in fact, that Republicans win presidential elections with social issues being prominent in the debate. The Republican establishment has this cowardly belief that you gotta sweep ’em aside, under the rug, get rid of ’em. Independents aren’t gonna like it. Their wives don’t like it and henpeck ’em and badger ’em about it and so forth. They don’t want to go to the convention with a bunch of pro-life hicks from the south.

The fact of the matter is it’s a winning issue, and this is going to be an area where, if this is serious stuff, and we don’t know whether it is yet. It coulda just been that this is a leak to distract everybody from this Bain BS that Obama’s out there pushing. Who knows. Anyway, Sarah Palin last night On the Record With Greta Van Susteren. Van Susteren said, “What do you think about all this, Condoleezza Rice?”

PALIN: I think that Condoleezza Rice would be a wonderful vice president, and she certainly has much more experience than our sitting president.

RUSH: Whoa! Sarah Palin throwing in with Condoleezza Rice knowing full well that she could go either way on abortion. She’d be a wonderful vice president. That’s gonna shock some people in the Tea Party. That’s gonna shock some people in the base. So Van Susteren said, “What about the fact that she says she is moderately, mildly pro-choice?”

PALIN: I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent, precious, purposeful human life and showed that respect via being a pro-life candidate. We need to remember, though, that it’s not the vice president that would legislate abortion, and that would be Congress’ role. And we’ll keep that in mind.

RUSH: Well, Palin says it doesn’t matter. She’s the veep, for crying out loud. What matters is Romney. What matters is Congress. And Romney’s out there plain as day saying he’s pro-life. Romney has also said, by the way, that he would not have a pro-choice VP. And Condoleezza Rice says she’s mildly pro-choice. Willie Brown, the former Speaker of the California assembly, former mayor of San Francisco, was on CNBC last night, the Kudlow report with Larry Kudlow. Larry Kudlow, the host said, “Willie Brown, you give Condoleezza Rice good reviews. You said Democrats would be worried. What’s the biggest problem for Democrats if Condoleezza Rice is on the ticket?”

BROWN: Democrats have a big problem whether she’s on the ticket or not. The incredible amount of money that’s gonna be handled by people like Karl Rove and the Koch brothers and others in those Super PACs, they’re gonna outspend Democrats probably two or three to one.

RUSH: It’s a crock.

BROWN: It’s gonna be really tough. And if you add to it some unique flavor, some real talented person like Condoleezza Rice, you really do begin to have a real, real problem.

RUSH: Look, we gotta start shooting this malarkey that Romney’s gonna outspend Obama. It isn’t true. Obama is outraising Romney right now, and he will continue to, and he’s gonna outspend Romney. I’ve got the story. Just don’t doubt me. Obama, it’s another lie, trying to make himself out to be the underdog victim of these rich corporate titans not giving him money. He’s Mr. Middle America. He’s Mr. Average. He’s the downtrodden. He doesn’t have as much money as that evil Mitt Romney, and he doesn’t have a Swiss bank account. All that BS. He’s outraising Romney even as we speak. That’s all he does, is raise money. That’s all he does anymore.

He doesn’t go to the Oval Office and do anything but plan his next fundraising trip. He’s got all these underlings and surrogates out there doing his campaigning for him. He’s raising money. Koch brothers, Super PACs. You know, there’s piece of legislation he’s gonna be voting on in the Senate, I think Monday. The left is just fit to be tied over the Citizens United case, which gave corporations the same right to contribute to campaigns as individuals. Basically what the Citizens United case said was that the CEO or the corporation, Acme corporation, has as much right to participate in the American political process as the New York Times does. And Little Pinch Sulzberger and all of his rich buddies, they can give all the money they want, the unions, and the Supreme Court said corporations can do the same thing. The left is fit to be tied.

So what the left has done, the Democrats are gonna be offering a bill in the Senate on Monday that would require the names of nonunion donors to be published, under the Citizens United — certain kinds of donors giving to Super PACs, the names would have to be published, and the reason for that is so the Democrats can sick their attack dogs on ’em and harass ’em. It’s coming up Monday. And they’re hoping, the Republicans are hoping, that every Republican senator holds firm and votes “no” on this thing.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Freeland, Michigan. This is Darrell. Great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: It’s a big honor to talk to you. I’ve been listening about 20 years, ever since you spoke at Saginaw Valley College in Michigan here four years ago.

RUSH: I remember. I remember that. Thanks very much, sir.

CALLER: Yeah, I just think the Democrats are deflecting the real problem. You know, you’re talking about pro-life. I’m pro-life, but I think these Democrats are going after women’s rights, they’re going after black rights, and we need to get away from those subjects so much and concentrate on the economy. Because if the economy goes, all those rights don’t mean diddly-squat, okay? You leave abortion illegal, we are still gonna have back alley abortions and so forth. So we need to concentrate on getting this country back on its feet.

RUSH: Well, look. All this is gonna have an impact on turnout, perhaps. So it’s said. This is one of the things I saw, I guess last night and today. I saw some stories about… Actually, I should more accurately say I saw blog posts speculating on what would happen to turnout. Some of them made the point that there really isn’t a whole lot of turnout energy, that conservative turnout’s kinda flapping away in the wind. And if Condoleezza Rice had happened to be the nominee, it could suppress turnout. And I read that and it boggles my mind.

I could be dead wrong about it, bit when I see blog posts that conservative turnout is down because they hate Romney and are unhappy that Romney’s the nominee, and conservatives are already thinking sitting it out and sitting at home? And if Rice is the choice, that’s bad? I’m thinking, “What the hell is going on out there?” If that’s true, if there are a bunch of you people sitting around there thinking you’re not gonna vote ’cause Romney’s the nominee and if he chooses Condoleezza it’s over, then I have lost touch with you! I have lost touch with you. I don’t understand that at all. Now, what Darrell here is saying? I know what he’s trying to say.

Yeah, he’s pro-life — and that, this, and that — but if we lose our freedom, what does any of that matter? If they fully implement Obamacare, it’s not just babies in the womb that are gonna be killed! That’s his point. So what does it matter? Now, it matters because it’s morality. It matters, and you should never compromise your morality. But you do have to keep things in perspective. And you do have to have your eye on the big prize and what is going to enable you to have your morality prevail (or to have a chance to, at any rate).

So I know his point. Basically he’s saying, “Look, I’m pro-life, but that might become a secondary thing if they’re gonna destroy this economy, or if they are going to fundamentally transform this country into something it isn’t and hasn’t been and was never intended to be.” But if there are people out there who are saying, “You know what? (grumbling) I don’t like Romney so much and I’m thinking not voting,” I don’t know you.

Rob in Glen Cove, Long Island. Hi, and welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Hey, Rob. (chuckles) I mean, “Hey, Rush!” Greetings from the state that 3.4 million New Yorkers left since 2000. I’d like you to comment on the preposterous hypocrisy, how they’re lambasting Mitt Romney for the two years at Bain Capital. But no one I see is talking about how Jeffrey Immelt was the CEO of GE. They didn’t pay any taxes — GE didn’t — last year. And he moved the entire x-ray division of General Electric, 26,000 jobs, to China.

RUSH: Really? The ChiComs are in charge of GE’s x-ray division?

CALLER: Yeah. It’s all over the news. It’s in the news.

RUSH: Okay.

CALLER: And Immelt’s on the board with Obama talking about Obama saying there’s no such thing as a shovel-ready job, and I just wonder why that’s not talked about.

RUSH: Well, I know. See, it’s a great point all this outsourcing that’s taking place… By Obama himself! I mean, Jeff Immelt is working with Obama on all this outsourcing. Obama’s making it possible for Immelt to do this outsourcing, because Obama is giving GE money for so-called green energy programs. But, see, folks, again: Perspective. I don’t care what Mitt Romney is doing with HIS money. Capital H, capital I, capital S: HIS money. I don’t care what you are doing with YOUR money. I don’t care. What I care about is what Obama is doing with all of our money. And whatever Romney’s doing with his money, it isn’t hurting anybody, and it’s probably helping a lot of people. But it certainly isn’t hurting us.

It’s certainty not hurting the country.

That cannot be said of Obama and his buddies and the way they are spending our money.

And that, to me, is what’s important.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Carson City, Nevada. Kate, I’m glad you called. You’re next on Open Line Friday. Hello.

CALLER: Hey, Rush. How are you doing?

RUSH: Good, thank you.

CALLER: Good. I’m the one that’s from Fairfield that has been talking to you for 20-plus years.

RUSH: Oh, you’re back! Okay.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: You should have said “Kate from Fairfield” and I would have known.

CALLER: Well, you know, I did that last time but then I admitted to you that we’ve moved to Carson City. The reason I’m calling is, I understand how you feel about this Condoleezza Rice situation. You know me. I’m a conservative, pro-life Catholic mom of eight and grandmother of six. I will vote for Romney no matter who the VP pick is. That being said, I think we need to have a conversation about this. I think we can’t just accept whatever he does. I think we need to talk about it. I think we need to say, “Hey, there are a lot of good, pro-life veep candidates out there.” There’s Marco Rubio. There’s Rob Portman. There’s Tim Pawlenty. There’s Suzanne Martinez. There’s Nikki Haley. There’s a lot of good folks out there. I think we need to talk (garbled cell) accept whatever Romney does. I mean, we’re supporting him, and I’m a (garbled cell) to him (garbled cell) to talk about it. Can you agree with that?

RUSH: Well, are you under the impression that I don’t care? (sigh) See, I don’t think it’s gonna be Condoleezza Rice. I think all of this is whatever it is. I don’t think it’s her. She’s even put a statement out there that she doesn’t want it.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: I don’t know who you can believe when they say what, anymore —

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: — when it comes to this kind of stuff. Because, you know, you have to deny these things. You can’t act like you want it, but…

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: The veep right now, you know where it rates on my scale of one to ten?

CALLER: Zero.

RUSH: Minus two.

CALLER: Okay. (giggling) I was close! I know you well. I was close.

RUSH: You were. (laughing)

CALLER: You’re right.

RUSH: There will be time for that.

CALLER: We’re hanging by a thread, Rush, and we all know that. And what you just said about the whole welfare reform thing — and thank you very much. That’s exactly what I was thinking. Thank you for pointing out the hypocrisy between what he said about the Affordable Health Care Act and what he’s doing with the welfare reform.

RUSH: It’s worse than hypocrisy. It’s hypocrisy at the very least. I’m having trouble coming up with the proper term, but all I can ask is, “Do you really think this is just accidental, this destruction that’s taking place our country and in our economy?” Yeah, it is hypocritical. The guy goes out threatens the Supreme Court, “You don’t dare overturn laws passed by the elected representatives of the American people!” But he does it himself.

CALLER: Yes. Because he does what he wants.

RUSH: Well, we’re dealing with a statist, an authoritarian, somebody that really doesn’t believe in democracy. He just took something that was the result of the democratic process and just zeroed it out, using what he thinks is the power he has as president of the United States. You know, for people who are still on the fence — for the independents are trying to figure out which way to go in this — I think this kind of information is worthwhile for ’em to know, which is why I dig it out and trumpet it. But, look, I understand your concern about the veep and pro-life and all this and so forth. I haven’t put that on the back burner by any stretch of the imagination. I gotta go, though.